Air New Zealand expects continued growth in traffic from India driven by increase in leisure travel and business ties, the airline said as it announced a codeshare partnership with Air India on Wednesday.
However, non-stop flights between the countries are expected to start only by 2028 with deliveries of new long range aircraft.
As per industry data, around 350,000 passengers flew between India and New Zealand in CY 2024. Singapore Airlines is a market leader on the routes with around 30 per cent share. It also has a joint venture alliance with Air New Zealand covering flights between Auckland, Christchurch and Singapore. Together the two airlines have a share of around 50 per cent of India-New Zealand traffic. Malaysia Airlines carries almost 25 per cent of the traffic between India and New Zealand.
“The new codeshare partnership with Air India will further strengthen our offering by providing improved connectivity and more seamless travel options for passengers. By leveraging Air India’s vast domestic network in India, we provide more options for Indians to travel to New Zealand, and in turn, drive additional demand,” an Air New Zealand spokesperson said.
“Travel between India and New Zealand has experienced strong growth and we have seen over 90 per cent growth in passenger volumes out of India onto the Air New Zealand network since 2019.”
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“Strategic partnerships and joint investments with Tourism New Zealand and Auckland Airport will play a critical role in building demand for travel,” he added.
The codeshare partnership with Air India was announced in the presence of New Zealand prime minister Christopher Luxon. This comes as India and New Zealand negotiate a free trade agreement and aim to increase bilateral trade by ten times in a decade.
Speaking on the sidelines of the codeshare signing event, Air New Zealand CEO Greg Foran said non-stop flights to India are dependent on deliveries of new long range aircraft. “Our best view at this stage is that the aircraft will become available by 2028,” Foran said.
He said the plan is to have combination of Air India and Air New Zealand flights between Auckland and Delhi. “If that works well the next port might be Mumbai,” he said.
Sleep pods on New York flights from 2026
Air New Zealand is retrofitting its existing fleet of Boeing 787 with new premium seats and hopes to receive new 787 planes from April-May 2026.
“The first of the new aircraft will be equipped with the Skynest product and will be flown on Auckland -New York route,” Foran said.
Skynest will comprise of six pods designed like bunk beds that would allow economy class passengers to relax during long haul flights. Originally planned for introduction in 2022, the product will become available from next year.
Alongside innovation in-flight features, the airline is also investing in sustainability initiatives. In 2023 Air New Zealand announced purchase of a battery-powered electric aircraft. Trial flights are planned this year and the plan is to use the aircraft for cargo service from 2026.
“We are working on sustainability and in a matter of months you will see an electric aircraft flying in New Zealand,” Foran said.
